We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anass Lakhdari. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anass below.

Anass, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

I believe the kindest thing that my parents have ever done for me is giving me proper education. I am very thankful for my parents after the creator for sending me to great universities and to let me enjoy myself to the maximum, while at the same time focusing highly on the learning aspects of different subjects, not just for the sake to get high marks, but also to enrich myself as a person and as a professional. I believe the power of academia and going to School/university in general is not necessarily to land a great job after graduation, but to grow and discover a more fulfilling life.

Going to some of the best universities is a privilege, but it is not sufficient. I really think that the academic phase is only a gateway towards your learning and development throughout whatever career your decide to pursue later. You cannot expect to get a full-time job right after you graduate because it is a false belief that many people have. Life does not operate in an automatic, static, or mechanic way of doing things. It is the 21st century already, and many things evolve constantly and continuously with great sense of dynamism. We live in a fast-paced ever changing World, and you must adapt as a person to so many changing trends in the World. Therefore, a common route of a job after graduation does not work anymore and is a conventional way old system of thinking that wants to be enforced in a way or another by many societal norms to comply with common societal beliefs. Therefore, I found that I am thankful that I was comfortable working on developing myself as a person and professional after graduation while not being discouraged if I did not find a full-time job.

This is the mindset that I had, which is extremely pivotal in my systematic way of thinking that shapes how I feel every day. Indulging myself through some creative projects gave me a more meaningful way in many aspects of my life. I think I managed to challenge the traditional belief that many societies have, which is expecting you to get a job. Right after you graduate, which might limit your freedom and potential as a creative individual. I felt that my parents made the right choice through believing in me and sending me to these universities in which I have studied because apart from the academic life that is the center of every single university in the World, there are also the extracurricular activities that embody a philosophy of reconciliation with the self and maintaining harmony between your body, mind, and soul in an adequate manner. The academic life offers you an optimal chance to discover your learning flaws in a holistic manner, while at the same time exchanging diverse perspectives with amazing learners. However, the extracurricular side is unavoidable to release all your negative thoughts and feel energized once again to do great work personally, academically, or professionally. It mattered so much for me to go to great universities, and I have discovered that more after I graduated because my way of thinking became different. I really grew up in many ways. In the delicate tapestry of ideas, I found myself having a comprehensive view of different topics in life with a rich mindset that is open to learn to grow continuously. That’s why, to sum up, it was a life-changing step to receive excellent education in university and the maximum personal and professional self-fulfillment. But, remember, it is not forcefully that going to university that makes you have a great career later on. It is your personal choice and decision to be great and become greater as an individual while seizing your time at the university and after the university to learn and improve. University is a helpful thing if you benefit from it to the maximum and avoid wasting your time in useless stuff.

It was so meaningful for me to receive this kindest thing of receiving education in great universities as I fulfilled myself in a holistic way as a person and as a professional. Also, I discovered which things would work and which things would not work for me not just in university, but also after university. The meaning of going to great universities reincarnates a deep soul of discovering the self and living according to what will be enriching for you in the phase of the university and the coming phase. I believe I had a great learning experience in all the great universities I went to. However, I still do not like the fact that two of the universities in which I studied at did not call me unjustifiably to be the main speaker of the Graduation Ceremony, which is something that does not make sense at all, especially for a world-class speaker at my level and with my background. But, who cares now? I am recognized at the top level In the United States of America and Worldwide as a World-Class Matchless Speaker and Leader, and I believe this is one of the greatest achievements that anyone can ever have. I do not expect anything back from two of the universities in which I studied, but I believe now they know my real value. Also, they now know the mistakes that they have made through not calling me to be the commencement speaker. The World knows now my unmatched value to the industries of Public Speaking and Leadership, and this is another great achievement that I ever had in my life. I also love the fact that my mother stayed supportive to me more after graduation. My relationship with my father has not been the best after graduation since my father is old school , and he was willing that I do not pursue a creative career. He was willing that I do a normal job and a normal career away from the fields I succeeded at. I love the fact that my mother supports what I do, and I pray the Creator to give her long life expectancy and prosperity. The fact that only my mother has been supportive to me gave me more energy, motivation, and momentum to keep going forward. Despite that my father has not been supporting me, I want to thank him for paying for my education and for all the efforts he made with me in my life. What this shows is not just the gratitude that I have towards him, but at the same time, the purity of my heart and my high sense of maturity. In other words, even though, we might differ in the way we view things, I still show recognition and appreciation to someone who is not really supportive to what I do and who does not really like what I do. But, it is ok, in life, you cannot please Everyone. You should follow your heart and do what you like to do with your life. None can dictate what you need to do with your life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Mr. Anass Lak – A Humble Man. I consider myself a humble next generation authentic speaker and leader who is dedicated to help the Next Generation of Young Aspiring Speakers and Leaders around the World to be the kind of speakers and leaders they always wanted to be. Apart from being a humble next generation authentic speaker and leader, I am also on a continuous journey of self-discovery to shape my continuous learning and development as a person and a professional. I feel humble and at the same time privileged for having started public speaking since a very Young age. I believe it was at the time when I was taking a public speaking class during my undergraduate studies on September 30, 2015. I was 18 years, 1 month, and 19 Days including the end date where I felt the momentum on me and an on-going fire that fuels me to feel comfortable doing public speaking. I felt that I was born for this field of public speaking and motivational speaking. Also, I received the appreciation and admiration from my classmates when I was taking that public speaking class, and this gave me more confidence and comfort to be part of this field of public speaking/motivational speaking. And, even after that class, I felt that public speaking/motivational speaking was always something that fills me with positive energy. I always liked to face an audience and to speak with confidence and authenticity to educate, motivate, and inspire audiences to the maximum and support them to be uplifted in their quest to be the kind of people they always wanted to be.

Being a Next Generation Public Speaker/Motivational Speaker did not come up out of nowhere, but it was a gradual process that developed smoothly and naturally. This connects back to my childhood when I was really passionate about Theater and standing up since being a kid to deliver outstanding plays. It also crossed the period of time when I was in middle school where I had the optimal chance to perform amazing Comedy stand-ups that received positive feedback from all the people who witnessed them. I was always curious to learn new techniques and skills to enhance further my presence on-stage, not just for the sake of the theatrical/comedy stand-ups performances, but it was more for my inclusive continuous self-fulfilment with courage and authenticity. Building a large diversified skillset on-stage is more of a strenuous journey than a short-term exercise as many people tend to believe. Therefore, developing this on-stage presence with a versatility of skills required being aware of all-encompassing variables during each specific stage of my learning and development at each particular phase of my life from childhood, crossing middle-school, university time, and post-university up to now. There is no secret to becoming a great public speaker/motivational speaker, but I believe that talent truly matters when it is fully supported with hard work and continuous practice. Of course, it is inevitable to learn the theory of the field, but going from theory to practice is what really shapes your learning journey as a speaker and leader. I also believe that the vision that you have also plays a paramount role in paving your way in the field of public speaking/leadership towards greatness. With regards to what I provide as high-value services to the Next Generation Of Young Aspiring Speakers and Leaders around the World, as my main target audience overall is seizing my exclusive ability as well as leveraging my mission hand-in hand to motivate, inspire, teach, and educate them to become the kind of speakers/leaders they always wanted to be. This is not only limited to the High-Value VIP Personalized Coaching that is available for them, but it also entails all the variety of the once-in-a-lifetime historical experiences that I deliver with ease and authenticity throughout my historical Next Generation Interviews/Shows/Performances and other Next Generation Learning Material that is at their disposal. I do not think that I am solving a problem. I see myself more as someone who is responsible with a fulfilling mission to continuously motivate, educate, and inspire the Next Generation Of Young Aspiring Speakers and Leaders around the World and equip them with the necessary skillset and various techniques that give them a better position in their societies and in the World through making them feel comfortable and harmoniously learn and develop as speakers and leaders. I am offering a room for the Next Generation of Speakers and Leaders around the World to be themselves, feel themselves, and prove themselves globally as Next Generation Speakers and Leaders who have something meaningful, original, and one of its kind to offer to the World in their own unique and authentic way. We are not building copy paste versions of speakers and leaders. And, there is no standard approach that fits all, but the more you know that each speaker and leader requires a customized approach that works best for him/her, the more you are building the strong correct foundations for his/her continuous learning and development as a speaker and leader. Obviously, each speaker/leader has different needs and problems to work on in the long-term, and it is extremely vital to spot these needs/problems from the beginning to develop the convenient approach and strategy that will respond effectively to these needs and help to mitigate these problems. Overcoming fear of facing an audience is a common problem that many speakers and leaders have, and I have my own unique customized approach that works best for each individual who is facing such a problem. Of course, I cannot confess the exact way I deal with this problem. But, I can share exclusively one powerful technique that helped many of the people I worked with to overcome it. I truly believe in the power of the conversation with each speaker who is facing the fear of standing up in front of an audience so that I am able to spot what triggers this fear and be able to develop conveniently the right approach to face this fear and eventually overcome it. I think this is what makes me humbly a World-Class coach. I am not bragging or any sort of that. But, instead, I am aware of my inner value as a Coach. It is not just the knowledge and practice, but also it crosses my inherent ability to build a personal relationship and powerful dialogue/conversation with each speaker/leader. I believe this sets me apart than any other coach in the World within the industry of public speaking/leadership.

I coached my first public speaking international client on September 2019, when I was 22 Years old, 1 month, and 8 Days including the end date if my memory serves me well. I believe having the courage and early start in coaching gave me an edge and a complete understanding of new things, not just for my public speaking/leadership clients who choose to work with me, but also for my overall continuous learning and development as a speaker and leader. What makes me different in the World as a Next Generation Speaker and Leader is considering myself as a humble person who has more room to learn and improve continuously and at the same time the history that I make each time throughout every released historical once-in-a-lifetime experience work. I never settle for less than History. I make history and only history. I never see myself as an expert. I think only the Creator is the expert no matter how many years of experience that someone will have in any industry. Indeed, the experience and skills that you build are pivotal and of extreme Importance, but I refuse to call someone an expert except the Creator because there are always things that we do not know. There is always a hidden wisdom and other secrets that only the Creator knows. Obviously, there are theories and new knowledge and techniques, but the divine wisdom is so much more than that and is incomparable to the limited human knowledge that is accessible worldwide in the physical or metaphysical available library of knowledge in the World within the industry of Public Speaking/Leadership.

As I said before in my interview with VOYAGE LA, I am proud of having the courage, the passion, and the resilience that I have started something I am passionate about public speaking/motivational speaking/leadership since a very young age. I would say I never feel proud of anything I have done in my life, but I am happy instead with many things. Pride is evil as it may stunt your continuous learning and development as a speaker and leader. I would also add that I am happy, not proud for having started coaching several individuals within Public Speaking/Motivational Speaking/Leadership since a young age when I was 22 Years old, 1 month, and 8 Days with my first international client who spoke to me and was willing that I coach him. Therefore, I am happy not just with my tremendous evolution as a Next Generation Speaker and leader, but also with my tremendous evolution as a World-Class Public Speaking and Leadership Coach who is ready to teach and coach more people who want to take their public speaking/leadership skills to the next level. The main things I want other people to know about me is that I have strong principles, beliefs, core values, and work ethics that are all the center of my working philosophy as a Next Generation Speaker and leader and as a Next Generation Coach. I am someone who does what he says he will do and punctuality is an absolute must for me when I want to work with anybody worldwide. There are things I cannot tolerate and at the top of them a lack of discipline or integrity. Therefore, I would say I am a bit harsh when it comes to discipline, integrity, and punctuality, but I am harsh for a good reason because If I was lenient, I would not have embodied these fundamental pillars in my working philosophy every day or with each person I work with all over the World. The main things I want people to know about my work is that I develop a Next Generation Approach and Strategy that suit the personalized needs of each client I work with within the fields of Public Speaking/Motivational Speaking/ Leadership. My approach is smooth, authentic, and vivid. My strategy is based on a selective scientific pre-assessment of the client’s situation with a full lengthy analysis of their problems/needs that they want to work at on the long-term. Besides, both my approach and strategy are connected to my strong work ethics and working philosophy that constitute the operational side of what I do every day, whether as a Next Generation Speaker and leader or as a Next Generation Coach. I see the approach and the strategy as the base of the triangle and the peak of this triangle is the work ethics, while the working philosophy is the center of this triangle, which makes it fully operational when implemented properly each time whether when I work as a Next Generation Speaker and leader or when I coach other people as a Next Generation Coach.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I believe in a simple mission of motivating, inspiring, educating, and coaching the Next Generation of Young Aspiring Speakers and Leaders. My mission requires a lot of discipline and belief to make it happen. But, I believe that with my work ethics, working philosophy, approach, and strategy, I am able to be in a better position every day to implement my mission and live it fully. The obstacles are inevitable. These obstacles come to teach you a lesson that you are giving your mission your all. However, there will be some hard days, and it is ok to not feel at your best sometimes because it is part of the human nature. At the same time, the obstacles signal one thing that you can seize your inherent courage and resilience as well as to show your true character as a Man to face these obstacles and overcome them smoothly to reach another positive change in your life.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I believe the first most important point is that the leader needs to agree with his/her team to have a first meeting to set a solid underground of the work, which entails the working principles, beliefs, values, work ethics, and working philosophy. Without doing this exercise, there might be bad things that will arise that can cause trouble to the way the team operates and thus hinder the team progress and the team accomplishments of certain goals. The first meeting is of extreme importance to the team success so that the individuals within the team get to know who their leader is on a deeper level and understand how the team will operate fully in the coming phases.

The first meeting sends a clear signal to the team: Here are the things that will be tolerated and here are the things that will not be accepted by any means from anyone including the leader himself/herself who needs to be leading by example. Hence, the team builds a full awareness not just of the leadership style that will be adopted by the leader towards them, but the way the team will be tied to each other and perform as a whole: as a team and not in a silo way of doing things, where the sum of the individuals efforts make the team. It is rather understanding that the team has a set of diverse skills that complete each other and support the team mission, vision, and goals where everyone is in harmony and aligned with the team structure, team efforts, and effectiveness of the team to contribute to the team accomplishment of goals with the highest possible quality while meeting the schedules agreed upon.

I believe that this first meeting, such as the one I described can make the task of managing a team easier and to maintain high morale. But, remember, there is no standard approach that works for all teams. Each team is different and requires a different approach and strategy that will be implemented for every particular situation. It is up to the leader to use his/her prolific acumen to define what will work best for the best team interest and help to support the integrity and best adopted flexible work structure that facilitate the task of every individual within the team. Managing a team and maintaining high morale is an art that not everyone can perform correctly. The more you understand this, the easier it will be to implement it in a practical way. There are other things that the leader needs to be responsible for fully, such as how feedback is given and how to deal with dysfunctional members to maintain the health of the team and avoid its contamination. My piece of advice to maintain high morale is simply the leader needs to talk to each team member to make them feel safe and understand that each team member has its distinct value towards the team if he/she does what it takes to embody the team integrity, working principles, beliefs, values, work ethics, and working philosophy throughout the whole process of the team operation. Then, the more the leader feels that the team is advancing faster towards the team accomplishments of goals, mission, and vision, the easier it will be to include collective rewards, such as having a social dinner outside as a team or a respectful social activity to bring a new energy and dynamic to the team and keep the high morale at its best.

Contact Info:

• Other: I am available via email at: [email protected]

Image Credits

Mr. ANASS LAK